Building Health Equity

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Department
Pediatrics
Course Number
PED 371
Course Title Building Health Equity
Course Director
Matt Magyar, MD
Length (Weeks)

2
When Offered

Weeks 12-13
Prerequisites

All core clerkships
Availability Notes
Contact Name
Wilhelmina Bradford
Contact Phone
202-476-5692
Contact Fax
202-476-4741
Contact Email
wcbradfo@childrensnational.org
Other Contacts

Dr. Magyar (mmagyar@childrensnational.org; 202-476-6968)
Location

Children’s National Hospital
Limit
30 students
Report
Evaluation

Grading: This course is Pass/Fail. In order to pass the course, students must:

  1. Attend all scheduled didactic lectures and field trips unless they have a reasonable excuse.
  2. Participate in a faculty mentor session.
  3. Complete weekly reflection pieces and assigned readings.
  4. Complete and be active participant in final group equity policy briefing.

Students must complete all assignments and be active participants in in-person discussions.

Rubrics scoring the final group presentation including peer formative feedback and faculty evaluation.
Description

Purpose and Rationale for the Course: While the medical field by design provides care for all patients, the profession has not historically been an accurate reflection of the population served. A diverse workforce of academic pediatricians/clinicians equipped with the skills to dismantle structural inequities is essential to improving the health of all children/patients, in particular children/those of systemically disadvantaged and under-resourced backgrounds. This course seeks to teach students about equity, inclusion and justice in medicine so that they can apply this knowledge in the future by serving as physician-advocates for patients under their care. 

Target Students: MS4s interested in developing greater understanding of health equity and advocacy initiatives primarily in the field of pediatric medicine.

Course Description: This course will consist of in-person lectures and didactics as well as asynchronous readings, and engagement with mentors with expertise in advocacy and equity. Didactic sessions will be scheduled for the morning while the afternoons will consist of scheduled site visits pending improved pandemic conditions. Students will travel to local organizations and entities working in the field of health equity to get additional exposure to ongoing initiatives. One afternoon per week will be dedicated to both self-study/groupwork time in preparation for the final deliverable activity.

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Identify pertinent topics in pediatric health equity.
  2. Recommend policy strategies for mitigation of outstanding imbalances in health equity and inclusion.
  3. Demonstrate communication around equity-centered topics with community partners.
Additional Notes

General Course Schedule:

Week 1

  1. Reflection
    1. Students will submit a short (1-3 paragraph) piece wherein they reflect on some didactic aspect from the week and how it relates to them, via their own lived-experience or in experiences they hope to challenge within the field of medicine.
  2. Discussion
    1. Students will share at least 1 impression from weekly readings, lectures, or field experiences at start of session and 1 take-away from session at end.
    2. A facilitated group discussion with students presenting and leading discussions centered on presented topics from the week.

Week 2 

  1. Reflection
    1. Students will submit a short (1-3 paragraph) piece wherein they reflect on some didactic aspect from the week and how it relates to them, via their own lived-experience or in experiences they hope to challenge within the field of medicine.
  2. Discussion
    1. Students will share at least 1 impression from weekly readings, lectures, or field experiences at start of session and 1 take-away from session at end.
    2. A facilitated group discussion with students presenting and leading discussions centered on presented topics from the week.
  3. Final Group Presentation
    1. Students, divided into small groups, will present an equity-focused policy proposal to their peers and a panel of faculty wherein they outline typical components of a policy brief including outlining the background of their topic as well as presenting multiple policy options, an options-analysis, and a final policy recommendation for relevant stakeholders.
    2. Students will also submit a one-page policy brief summarizing their proposal for feedback from course faculty.